Closed;

[donkeyballs]

» WHO? Alex, Amos, Naomi, Bobbie, Prax
» WHEN? Day 8 and catchall for may
» WHERE? Wandering around the Station
» WHAT? The crew of the Roci goes hunting for their missing members
» WARNINGS? Alex is going to get stuck in a door and there might be some violence initiated to try to get him out. Also: Catchall for other Roci crew threads. 


It felt a hell of a lot better, to have the three of them all together. Amos had a few days alone, and Alex was all too glad that hadn't been him. He'd only had a day to wonder how the hell he got there and where the rest of his crew was, before he found Amos. Then a couple days later they'd found Naomi. He was confident, now, that it was only a matter of time before they found the others - Holden and Prax. The cap and the plant guy. Alex hadn't even noticed when Prax had officially become someone he counted as crew. As family. It didn't matter. He was, now. And that meant that Alex was just as keen on finding him as he was on finding Holden.

He wanted to find the Roci, too, but he didn't have a hell of a lot of hope, for that one. Whoever or whatever had brought them here didn't seem too eager to give them a way out. He hated it - hated the idea that he was separated from her, that he didn't know where she was or who had her - but right now Holden and Prax were more important. Once they were all together, they could work on getting the ship back.

They'd started with the top floor and worked their way down. No door was left unopened (when they would open at all), no proverbial stone unturned. Despite the fact that they'd gone through a few floors, now, Alex was undeterred. They could still find them. And even if they didn't, that didn't mean they weren't on the station. Apollo's image had made it clear there was a hell of a lot more to this place than they had access to. So maybe they were being held somewhere else. But that didn't mean they weren't gonna try.

"Alright, I'll take this row," He said amiably, as if calling sides in a game of foot ball, walking towards a row of doors. He tried to open the first one, locked, and went for the next. "Anyone want to lay bets for what sort of person we accidentally walk in on, next?"

Comments

[donkeyballs]

At this rate, I'll be pining for those MRE's even.

[ At the question, his brows twitched, furrowing slightly, before he frowned down at his plate. ]

Sorry, Gunny. It ain't - it's just weird, is all. Makes my damn head hurt, tryin' to remember. But I still can't. I know it's true - there ain't no way in hell you ain't been aboard the Roci - but it's still...

[ His frown deepened, and he pushed the food around his plate. ]

You even got lasagna. Don't you think I - Hell, I owe it to you, to remember, don't I?

[marineris]

[Bobbie's smile fades, but she just shrugs. It's weird for her, too, but that doesn't mean she wants him to feel guilty.]

It's not your fault.

[Her voice is a bit softer, now.]

We'll figure it out.

[donkeyballs]

[ But he does feel guilty. Though part of him feels angry - like someone else stole this from him.

He spears a piece of gelatinous disgusting shit, and wiggles it on the plate. ]

... Yeah.

I just - wanted to say thanks, I guess. For puttin' up with it. An' I hope I get my head back on right soon.

[marineris]

Hey, you saved our asses. All of you did, but without your fancy flying, Chrisjen and I would have been dead. That earns you a little patience.

[Or a lot of patience and gratitude, more realistically.]

[donkeyballs]

[ A lopsided smile rose to his lips, eyes raising finally to actually look at her. ]

Well, guess then I should thank m'self. Normally I like to remember my darin' rescues, but -- Anyway - Thanks, is all. For bein' around. And whatever else.

Look, I have a headache, let's just say I said something damn eloquent about friendship and family an' get back to tryin' to kill ourselves with whatever the hell this 'food' is supposed to be.

[marineris]

[The smile is a welcome change of pace, and Bobbie smiles back.]

Sure thing. If you're that excited about your food, you can eat mine, too. And I'm expecting that speech later.

[donkeyballs]

I'll try to come up with somethin' good and rivetin' and worth the wait.

[ He starts eating (just his own, thanks but no thanks, Bobbie), and can't help but think about lasagna while he does it, which just makes it worse. ]

Though you better tell me now if I've given you speeches before, so I don't repeat myself.

[marineris]

Nah. No big speeches.

[Time to dig in, she figures, but she eats the food methodically, more like it's a chore to get through than anything else.]

You can give me as many as you want.

[donkeyballs]

[He smiled, and for a few minutes there was just companionable silence as they ate, though something was niggling at the back of his head. He'd just finished another search for Holden, before he went looking for Bobbie, but...]

... The deputy undersecretary must be here too, now that I think about it. [ A small frown pulled at his lips. ] Keep thinkin' I only need to find Holden, but if you're here, then she should be, too.

[marineris]

[Bobbie can't help but frown too, pushing her food around on her tray.]

If they've got her here, they have to be holding her very securely. She'd be raising hell otherwise.

[donkeyballs]

Yeah. Same with the Cap. Maybe that's why they're still holdin' 'em.

We ain't nearly as much of a flight risk, long as they're still keepin' 'em hostage.

[marineris]

[She lets out a frustrated breath.]

We need to get through those doors. If I had my fucking armor...

[donkeyballs]

Your armour?

[ He frowned. ]

You mean your marine armour? I thought - did you still have it?

[marineris]

I had it with me on the Roci. Why?

[donkeyballs]

[He looked a little surprised, but also a little impressed.]

I'm just surprised they let you keep it. They ain't usually too keen on lettin' that sort of thing fall into UN hands.

Not that I'm - hell, not that I'm complainin', because you're damn right it would be helpful right now. And on the Roci, I imagine.

[marineris]

Oh. They didn't let me keep it. Chrisjen snuck it on her shuttle for me somehow.

[donkeyballs]

Chrisjen Avasarala did.

[ He said it in the tone of voice that one would use if they had just been told someone had achieved non-powered flight. Using their arms.

He let out a low whistle, and shook his head, eyebrows raised.]

Damn if I don't have a clue in hell what's goin' on out there anymore.

[marineris]

Trust me, I bet Chrisjen could open one of these doors by glaring at it hard enough.

[donkeyballs]

Hey, I ain't doubtin' it, Gunny.

[ Or, more accurately, he wasn't doubting Bobbie's belief. It was pretty damn hard to imagine a Marine teaming up with a a UN Deputy Undersecretary, but the idea that Bobbie might be lying to him never even crossed his mind. ]

The War is just makin' for some mighty odd bedfellows.

[marineris]

You're telling me. But after I found out what Martens did, I couldn't just go along with their script.

[donkeyballs]

I wasn't exactly happy t' find out that Mars was in the protomolecule business, either.

[ His voice had dropped quieter, despite the fact that there wasn't anyone else around to hear them. His brow furrowed and his eyes dropped to his plate. ]

Makes me sick to think about it. An' I don't just - I don't just mean 'cause of the flag or the dust, that ain't it. But we've been fighting against this damn thing from day one, and we... [ He let out a hard breath. ]

A lot of good Martians died. Getting us off the Donnager. Fightin' against this thing before they even knew what it was. It's like spittin' on their memory.

[marineris]

[Bobbie's expression darkens, and she shoves her tray aside.]

We were expendable. All of us. They wanted me to lie and say one of my men had started the firefight, like he had something to prove and was too trigger happy because his family's from Earth. Spitting on there memory is right.

[donkeyballs]

[ If someone had tried to tell him that Mars would do something like that even four weeks ago, he would have gotten extremely angry at the insinuation. But now all his anger was directed to Mars itself.

Mars was supposed to be better. Was supposed to be above the seething, unethical vortex that the protomolecule had created.

But it wasn't. And he hated it.

He left out a long breath and then reached out to where her hands lay on the table, and gently laid his hand over her wrist, trying to meet her gaze. ]

... I'm sorry, Gunny. [ His voice was even quieter than before. ]

[marineris]

[She goes very still for a moment, gaze meeting his. This isn't easy to talk about, but it is easier with him. With anyone else, she'd feel almost like she was betraying Mars, but Alex can understand, she thinks. After a second or so, she turns her wrist, sliding it back so she can squeeze his hand carefully. She appreciates the gesture, and she appreciates him listening.]

I thought we were fighting for something better.

[donkeyballs]

[When she slides her hand back under his, he grips hers - firm and warm - without even the slightest hesitation. It is a solid grip, and it stays there until he feels any slight movement of her hand to pull away.]

We are. [ The words were just as firm. ] Only people get it all wrapped in on their heads that they can control things they can't and that winnin' is worth the sacrifice. They forget what they're fightin' for, and suddenly the ends justify the means, when they don't.

But they ain't everyone. Your squad. The Donnager. They were all good people. Righteous people.

Long as we keep fightin' for them, we're fightin' on the right side. Don't matter if that don't happen to line up with any flag in particular.